Bhopal, Jul 4 (IANS): Moderate to heavy rainfall is likely to continue in parts of Madhya Pradesh for the next two days, India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted. Bhopal division of Met officials said that heavy rainfall is predicted in 15 districts in the next 24 hours.

The Met department on Monday afternoon issued an orange alert, recommending the state and the district administrations to be prepared for heavy to very heavy rainfall. Light to moderate rain continued to lash in several areas in the past 24 hours.

The IMD has also issued two yellow alerts, which calls on officials to be updated, one forecasting heavy rainfall at isolated places in Khandwa district and Bhopal and Narmadapuram divisions, and the second for possible thunderstorms with lightning at isolated places in the districts of 10 divisions, including Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Gwalior.

As per the IMD, the orange alert warns of likely heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in Jabalpur, Balaghat, Mandla, Satna, Anuppur, Shahdol, Umaria, Dindori, Katni, Narsinghpur, Chhindwara, Seoni, Sagar, Damoh and Chhatarpur.

According to IMD's regional office in Bhopal, large parts of the state have been witnessing rain for the last few days. Monsoon covered all of MP on July 1. The state, so far, has received 11 per cent less rainfall than the normal average. Between June 1 and July 4, it has received 147.1 mm rainfall against the normal average of 164.7 mm.

As per IMD data, Sagar, Khandwa, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Gwalior and Indore received 68.6 mm, 63.0 mm, 25.7 mm, 5.9 mm, 3.4 mm and 3.0 mm rainfall respectively in a 24-hour period ending at 8:30 a.m. on Monday.

A low pressure area over north Odisha and some other reasons was bringing moisture to MP, which in turn was causing rains.